Information Technology as a Tool for the Dissemination of Nazi Ideology and Countering It

Abstract

In the modern world, Nazism, now in the form of NeoNazism, is raising its head again. The primary goal of Neo-Nazism and their supporters is to change the worldview of the Russian people and to physically destroy Russian civilization and Orthodoxy. Information and telecommunications technologies are used to propagate Nazi ideology, attract new adherents, and commit crimes that are intrinsic to its essence. In light of the absence of an official universal definition of Nazism, the article examines proposed lists of phenomena that constitute its essence, as suggested by researchers. One of the ways to counter contemporary Neo-Nazism is through criminal liability for actions related to its rehabilitation, for offending the religious feelings of believers, and for inciting national, religious, and other forms of hatred or enmity. The author provides statistics on these crimes, highlights the peculiarities of committing them using the information and telecommunications network Internet and presents several examples of criminal cases. Neo-Nazism is accompanied by Neo-Paganism and separatist ideas, which are disseminated using information technologies and pose a clear threat to the Russian statehood. Finally, the article proposes methods to counter the spread of Nazi ideology through information and telecommunications technologies. The basis of the article is the theses from the author’s speech at the forum for the protection of traditional values named after Tatyana Shchipkova “The Russian World Against Nazism”, held in Smolensk on September 25, 2024.